Home Business in Idaho (2026)
53 rules on the books across Idaho, 14 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Which businesses you can run from home, the home-occupation permit or registration most cities require, and the conditions attached, floor area caps, signage bans, and prohibited uses.
Bonner County
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Bonner County, Idaho, home occupations come in three tiers. Home Occupation I is permitted by right…
Read full rule →Caldwell
Significant RestrictionsRunning a business from home in Caldwell requires a home occupation permit from the Planning and Zoning Department…
Read full rule →Pocatello
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Pocatello, City Code § 17.06.400 allows limited home occupations inside a residence or its accessory…
Read full rule →Ada County
Some RestrictionsAda County caps home occupations at 25% of a dwelling's total floor area or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less, and…
Read full rule →Bannock County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Bannock County allows home occupations only in the Residential Rural, Residential Suburban and…
Read full rule →Boise
Some RestrictionsBoise caps home businesses at 500 sq ft and no outside employees before a Zoning Compliance Review is required.
Read full rule →Bonneville County
Some RestrictionsIn the A-1 Agricultural Zone, Bonneville County caps a home occupation's accessory building at 1,000 square feet on…
Read full rule →Canyon County
Some RestrictionsCanyon County Code § 07-14-11 lets residents run a home business in unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho only if the use…
Read full rule →Coeur Dalene
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Coeur d'Alene, every home occupation needs a home occupation certificate, and the certificate is issued…
Read full rule →Kootenai County
Some RestrictionsKootenai County lets you run a home occupation only within strict limits: it must be run by a resident family member…
Read full rule →Meridian
Some RestrictionsMeridian allows home-based businesses as an accessory use in every residential zoning district, but operators must get…
Read full rule →Nampa
Some RestrictionsNampa allows home occupations in residential zones by right if they meet size, signage, employee, and traffic…
Read full rule →Twin Falls County
Some RestrictionsA home occupation in unincorporated Twin Falls County must stay incidental and secondary to the dwelling and be run…
Read full rule →Signage Rules
Whether you can put up a sign for your home business, including size limits, placement rules, and which types of signs are allowed.
Nampa
Significant RestrictionsNampa limits home occupation signage to a single nameplate of two square feet or less, and the sign cannot be…
Read full rule →Ada County
Some RestrictionsA home occupation sign in unincorporated Ada County follows Ada County Code 8-3-12(G): the lesser of 64 square feet or…
Read full rule →Boise
Some RestrictionsBoise allows only one small, non-illuminated wall sign for a home-based business, capped at two square feet and mounted…
Read full rule →Bonner County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Bonner County, Idaho, a home business gets one sign, not exceeding four square feet in area…
Read full rule →Bonneville County
Some RestrictionsHome occupation signs in Bonneville County's residence zones are capped at one and one-half square feet, must be a…
Read full rule →Caldwell
Some RestrictionsCaldwell allows one home occupation sign per dwelling unit once the city has issued a home occupation permit for the…
Read full rule →Coeur Dalene
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a commercial sign is not allowed in a residential zone or on property used for…
Read full rule →Kootenai County
Some RestrictionsThe county Land Use Code sharply limits residential signs. A name-only sign is allowed in any zone, but a sign carrying…
Read full rule →Meridian
Some RestrictionsMeridian lets home occupations post one on-site sign, capped at six square feet, nonilluminated and permit-free, under…
Read full rule →Twin Falls County
Some RestrictionsTwin Falls County bars any external sign for a home occupation beyond what County Code section 8-10-3 allows…
Read full rule →Bannock County
Light RestrictionsA home occupation sign in unincorporated Bannock County cannot exceed four square feet. Section 17.52.270(H) requires…
Read full rule →Canyon County
Light RestrictionsCanyon County Code § 07-14-11(6) caps a home business sign in unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho at four square feet…
Read full rule →Customer Traffic Restrictions
Limits on customers and clients visiting a home business, daily visit caps, one-at-a-time rules, employee restrictions, and parking conditions that keep a home occupation from becoming a storefront.
Ada County
Significant RestrictionsAda County splits home occupations into two tiers, and customer traffic is where they diverge sharply. A small home…
Read full rule →Boise
Some RestrictionsBoise caps home-business deliveries at two per day, limits instructional classes to one student at a time, and bans any…
Read full rule →Bonner County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Bonner County, Idaho, home occupation traffic is capped by tier: ten (10) vehicle trips per day on…
Read full rule →Bonneville County
Some RestrictionsA home occupation with visiting clients in Bonneville County's A-1 Agricultural Zone may only conduct that…
Read full rule →Caldwell
Some RestrictionsCaldwell caps the vehicle and delivery traffic a home business can generate. Under City Code § 10-12-03-22(4), supply…
Read full rule →Coeur Dalene
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Coeur d'Alene, a home occupation within one dwelling unit or permitted accessory structure cannot…
Read full rule →Meridian
Some RestrictionsMeridian restricts home occupation client, customer, and employee visits to between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. citywide…
Read full rule →Nampa
Some RestrictionsNampa home occupations may host clients by appointment only, one at a time; group instruction like music or swimming…
Read full rule →Pocatello
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Pocatello, City Code § 17.06.400.B.7 limits any home occupation to no more than two patron vehicles on…
Read full rule →Twin Falls County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Twin Falls County, a home occupation approved under County Code section 8-10-3 must provide adequate…
Read full rule →Cottage Food Operations
Rules for selling homemade food products from your kitchen, including what foods are allowed, labeling requirements, and annual sales limits.
Idaho: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsIdaho replaced its cottage-food chapter outright in 2026. Senate Bill 1283, chapter 91 of the 2026 session laws, added…
Read full rule →Ada County
Some RestrictionsIdaho requires no cottage-food license, permit, or registration. You may make non-potentially-hazardous foods in your…
Read full rule →Kootenai County
Some RestrictionsIdaho lets home cottage-food operations sell non-perishable (non-TCS) foods like baked goods, jams, and honey directly…
Read full rule →Home Kitchen Operations
Permits for selling meals cooked to order in a home kitchen, which is a separate legal category from shelf-stable cottage food. Covers daily meal and gross revenue caps, health department inspection, and whether the county has to opt in before residents may apply at all.
Home Daycare
Licensing and zoning rules for running a daycare out of your home, including the number of children allowed, outdoor play area requirements, and safety standards.
Idaho: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsIdaho Code Title 39 Chapter 11 sets statewide daycare licensing requirements based on the number of unrelated children…
Read full rule →Bonneville County
Significant RestrictionsBonneville County requires anyone operating a daycare home for one to five children for pay to obtain a county license…
Read full rule →Twin Falls County
Significant RestrictionsRunning a daycare from home in unincorporated Twin Falls County is not a by-right use. In the Agricultural zone a group…
Read full rule →Ada County
Some RestrictionsIdaho defines a family daycare home as caring for six or fewer children, a group daycare facility for 7-12, and a…
Read full rule →Bannock County
Some RestrictionsIn the Residential Suburban district of unincorporated Bannock County, a state-licensed day care home caring for up to…
Read full rule →Boise
Some RestrictionsBoise allows a home daycare for up to six children by-right, and seven to twelve with a Zoning Compliance Review, under…
Read full rule →Caldwell
Some RestrictionsCaldwell caps in-home daycares at twelve children including the provider's own, requires state licensure filed with…
Read full rule →Canyon County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Canyon County's zoning code splits home-based childcare into three size tiers at § 07-02-03: a Family…
Read full rule →Coeur Dalene
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Coeur d'Alene, a home daycare is a home occupation. It needs a home occupation certificate plus a…
Read full rule →Idaho Falls
Some RestrictionsIdaho Falls' building code lets a home daycare with twelve or fewer children keep its ordinary residential…
Read full rule →Kootenai County
Some RestrictionsA small in-home daycare typically operates as a home occupation under the county Land Use Code, while a larger…
Read full rule →Meridian
Some RestrictionsFamily child care for six or fewer kids counts as a home occupation accessory use in Meridian and needs a city…
Read full rule →Nampa
Some RestrictionsNampa allows in-home daycare for up to 6 children by right in residential zones; caring for 7 to 12 children needs a…
Read full rule →Pocatello
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Pocatello, home daycare is capped at twelve children in the operator's own residence or twenty children…
Read full rule →